Description:
Education is awash with theories about how pupils best learn and teachers best teach, most often propped up with the inevitable research that 'proves' the case in point. But what can teachers do to find the proof within the pudding, and how can this actually help them on wet Wednesday afternoon?
Drawing from recent and popular education theories and strategies, Tom highlights how much of what we think we know in schools hasn't been 'proven' in any meaningful sense at all. He inspires teachers to decide for themselves what good and bad education really is, empowering them as professionals and raising their confidence in the classroom and the staffroom alike.
Review Quotes:
"'Teacher Proof' (2013) by Tom Bennett is a lively and lucid counterblast to fads, pseudo-science, the misuse of research and condescension towards teachers. 'Everyone still wants a magic bullet', he writes. 'Everyone still wants to hear the guy with the big idea, wrapped up in modernity and novelty. No one wants to hear the possibility that what works in classrooms is often very simple, very cheap, very boring and quite time-consuming.' As well as debunking the likes of 'learning styles, thinking skills, multiple intelligences and brain gym', Bennett tackles the broader question of the relationship between practice and research and envisages a more vibrant and positive compact between schools and the academic community." -Matt Lloyd-Rose, social researcher, NGO leader and writer.